FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, March 13, 2026

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Dylan Thomas

Marketing Manager

Downtown Dallas, Inc.

dthomas@downtowndallas.com

P: (949) 554-4029

Downtown Dallas, Inc. Board Approves Downtown Dallas Big Moves Planning Effort

DALLAS — The Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI) Board of Directors this week approved the launch of Downtown Dallas Big Moves, a six-month planning initiative designed to shape the next chapter of growth, investment, and connectivity in the city’s urban core.

The effort will bring together Downtown residents, businesses, property owners, civic leaders, and design experts to develop a focused set of strategic priorities that will guide Downtown’s future development and investment.

The initiative comes at a pivotal moment for Downtown Dallas, as billions of dollars in public and private investments are poised to reshape the urban core, and evolving economic conditions are forcing cities across the country to rethink how downtown districts function. DDI leaders say the planning effort is intended to align those opportunities and challenges under a cohesive long-term vision for the future of Downtown.

“Our Board strongly supports this effort because it reinforces the role DDI has played for nearly 70 years, convening stakeholders and mapping a clear vision for the heart of our city,” said Amy Lewis Hofland, DDI Board Chair. “Clarifying priorities at this critical moment helps hold us accountable and requires the compromises necessary to achieve our goals. This process will take courage, and it will ensure Downtown’s next phase of growth is ambitious, focused, and guided by a comprehensive plan.”

The initiative builds on the success of DDI’s Downtown Dallas 360 Plan, which helped guide a generation of revitalization across the urban core. Notable successes include the addition of more than 20 acres of new park space, the revitalization of Main Street, the resurgence of the Farmers Market neighborhood, the growth of the Dallas Arts District, and the steady rise of Downtown’s residential population.

Today, Downtown Dallas has evolved from a largely nine-to-five business district into a dynamic mixed-use urban center with nearly 16,000 residents and $8 billion in active development underway.

At the same time, Downtown faces an uncertain economic landscape, including elevated office vacancy rates and shifting workplace patterns that are reshaping downtowns across the country. Leaders say the next phase of Downtown’s evolution will require continued adaptation, including the conversion of older office buildings into residential, hotel, and mixed-use developments that bring more people to live in the urban core.

“The Big Moves initiative is about building on the momentum Downtown has created over the past two decades while preparing for the extraordinary opportunities ahead,” said Jennifer Scripps, DDI President and CEO. “With transformational investments underway, this is the moment to step back, bring the community together, and align around a bold, shared vision for Downtown Dallas.”

The planning process will examine how major civic and private investments can accelerate Downtown’s next phase of growth. Among the planned or ongoing projects are the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas and Dallas College redevelopments, infrastructure investments tied to the FIFA World Cup, a new Dallas ISD campus, the overhaul and reconnection over the Interstate 30 “canyon,” the potential redevelopment of City Hall and relocation of key services, as well as possible development of a new arena and entertainment district.  

The planning effort will be led in partnership with nationally recognized urban planning and design firm MIG, Inc., whose team previously worked with DDI on the Downtown Dallas 360 Plan. In addition to Dallas, MIG has led planning, design and engagement projects in major cities throughout North America and across the globe, including Denver, Seattle, Houston, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Calgary, Tokyo and Stockholm.

Over the next six months, the process will include a detailed assessment of Downtown’s current conditions and progress since The 360 Plan, followed by many stakeholder engagement sessions, interviews, and workshops designed to identify catalytic opportunities and future priorities.

Those discussions will examine economic trends, placemaking and public realm design, and potential catalytic development sites across the urban core. The process will focus on adaptive reuse of vacant office buildings, improved connectivity between existing Downtown districts, public realm investments, and redevelopment of underutilized sites.

The process will ultimately narrow those ideas into a short list of “Big Moves,” high-impact strategies designed to guide Downtown’s next phase of investment, connectivity, and urban growth.

The final plan will be presented publicly at the State of Downtown event on September 30, 2026.

Lindsay Wilson, President of Corgan and a member of the DDI Board of Directors, said her firm’s long history in Dallas reinforces the importance of long-range planning.

“Our firm recommitted to Downtown Dallas in 2017, with a long-term lease for our Headquarters because we believed in the future of the urban core,” Wilson said. “This planning effort is rooted in the belief that by bringing together design, economic strategy, and community voices we can chart the next era of vibrancy and growth for Downtown.”

Downtown residents will also play an important role in shaping the plan.

“As a Downtown resident, I’ve seen firsthand the growth and vibrancy of the city center,” said Todd Howard, DDI Board Treasurer and Partner and Managing Director for Kirksey Architecture’s North Texas office. “It is exciting to launch a planning effort that recognizes Downtown as a community where people live and build their lives.”

Christopher Beynon, MIG’s Vice President and Chief Development Officer, added, “We are honored to be working with DDI and its partners at this critical juncture in Downtown’s evolution. The city core has incredible assets and opportunities, but now more than ever we need to be creative, strategic, focused – and bold. That’s what’s needed to stand out in this competitive world. Cultivating the next Big Moves will help ensure that Downtown Dallas remains a leader on the regional, national, and global stages for the years and decades to come.” 

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About Downtown Dallas Inc.

Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI), is the champion of a clean and safe Downtown and of the economic development and vibrancy of this community of diverse, unique neighborhoods. 

• DDI mobilizes and amplifies the services of public agencies.
• Advocates for catalytic developments that strengthen Downtown.
• Provides care for the communities and public spaces it stewards. 

DDI elevates the quality of life for residents, workers, visitors, and other stakeholders.